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Toronto – A new poll has found that the majority of Canadian consumers care how food companies are treating animals.

NRG Research Group conducted the poll shortly after footage was released showing workers at a dozen Lilydale chicken supplier farms horribly mistreating the animals.

In a statement, NRG says the poll found that “nine out of 10 Canadians want food companies to commit to greatly reducing the suffering of chickens in their supply chains, even if it results in higher prices.”

NRG says in the statement that the poll surveyed consumers on “each step of a broiler chicken’s life, from genetic selection to slaughter.”

Some of the key findings as listed in the statement are:

• 90% oppose using chickens bred to grow so fast they often become crippled under their own weight and support switching to breeds with higher welfare outcomes
• 88% support ending live-shackle slaughter in favor of less cruel systems that eliminate the suffering caused by shackling, shocking, and slitting the throats of conscious animals
• 88% oppose extreme crowding by which each chicken is provided with less than a square foot of floor space
•86% support banning these conditions even if per-pound cost of chicken meat increases

The poll also found that respondents feel strongly about “keeping chicken litter clean enough to prevent eye sore, flesh burns and respiratory distress; providing environmental enrichment, such as straw bales and pecking objects, so chickens can engage in natural behaviours; improving lighting standards, including at least six hours of darkness each day to avoid further accelerating the chickens’ growth; and implementing third-party auditing programs to ensure laws and commitments are not violated.”

The statement says that many large food companies have adopted welfare standards to address the issues, but some large chains have still not made a commitment.